Apple's Product Photographer Offers In-Depth Look at his Work with Apple

The man whose images present Apple’s latest and greatest products to the public, Peter Belanger, recently discussed what it’s like working with Apple in a recent interview. The San-Francisco-based advertising photographer offered an in-depth look at how he creates the almost too perfect images of Apple products like the iPad, iPhone and other massively popular products. According to him:

The biggest factor is how many photos need to be accomplished in a day. I try to keep the shot list reasonable so there’s time for me to light each product uniquely. Ideally, I consider the material of the product and how best to light it. Sometimes it’s easier to light the materials without a surface getting in the way (since it can be added later).

Belanger studied photography in the classical sense and while pushed toward creative “art gallery” results, decided to go with a more commercial route as the Silicon Valley area was ripe with product companies. With Apple, the team comes prepared with a well-developed idea of what is needed he said. Belanger works with the company’s art directors on positioning the product before moving onto lighting, an important process in portraying the subject accurately while keeping an eye-catching aesthetic. Belanger said the following:

Because Apple products have such carefully selected materials it is incredibly important to light the product in a way that will showcase the various materials accurately. I pick an area to start with and think about how that material needs to be described.

As for his preference of gear, Belanger said his “go-to camera” right now is Canon’s 5D Mark III fitted with 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. He touts the zoom lens’ shallow depth of field when wide open, a plus for his brand of product portraiture work. Those of you interested who are interested in reading the full interview can hit the source link below for a look at Belanger’s software suite and more.